An exclusive interview with JJ Valaya!

Iconic Indian designer JJ Valaya celebrated the 20thanniversary of his company, The House of Valaya last weekend at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex in downtown Toronto. Also gracing the occasion was the Royal family from Jaipur including HRH Princess Diya Kumari and Maharaj Narendra Kumar. The Princess is the daughter of the late Maharaj Sawai Bhawani Singh and Her Highness Maharani Padmini Devi of Jaipur.

Valaya’s collection was breathtaking; silhouettes inspired by Valaya latest visit to Istanbul with mesmerizing music, panned a wide spectrum of earthen colored garments with thick glittering borders and other fusion cuts and coordinates. A select range of menswear complimented the look and feel of the women’s wear line that included jackets, dresses, shirts, blouses, skirts and breeches as well as traditional Indian Sarees with a twist.

Suhaag.com’s Tushar Unadkat spoke to Valaya in an exclusive interview about all things fashionable.

TU: Is this the first time you are showing your work in Toronto?

JJ: Yes for the first time!

TU: What is your expectation from the Canadian market?

JJ: I let go of expectations a long time ago and that ‘s what works beautifully because that way the results are always gratifying. I just hope people like what they see.

TU: What is your specific target audience for the collection?

JJ: Everybody who has a great sense of style and are not fashion victims will like my collection. I believe that clothes are meant to be like add ons to create a look that is cohesive and very individualistic. I don’t believe people who follow fashion blindly.

TU: What is your observation of the fashion sense amongst the audience that you see here in Toronto?

JJ: Very mixed, lot of color…happy colors but there’s always room for a whole lot of new styles to be embraced

TU: What is the one thing that you would want to take back from Canada?

JJ: Why would I do that? Well, I take back memories, because within memories there are small secrets…

TU: What is something that you would bring back immediately from India?

JJ: I would bring the modern version of Indian culture back here to strike a balance because that’s what is missing in most parts of the world.

TU: How would you rate the fashion sense of the audience here in 1- 10?

JJ: Well, it would range anywhere between 5-8

Now let’s measure your sense in fashion through our FASHIONOMETER!

1. How many fashion shows did you attend in the last five years?

a). 3 b). 7 c). 9

2. When was the last time you bought a designer out-fit?

a). under two years b). more than two years ago c). never

3. How do you decide what`s in fashion?

a). Inspired by a pret line b). Inspired by Bollywood c). My mommy shops for me

And your scores are:

If you`ve got mostly a`s:

8 to 10 – Hey, you got it! You are the fashion diva; contact us for an exclusive interview!

If you`ve got mostly b`s:

5 to 8 – Hmmm… some help will do you good; stay tuned with us for fashion tips!